Index.



No. 679,.5.h35.. Patented July 30, I90l. V

2. B. SAY.

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(Application am Mar. 21, 1901.

(No Kodak) SUIIANE RESIDENCE. SURNAME. RESIDENEE 327 In: NORRh; PETERS co, wmoumo" wasniuo'rnn, n. c.

UiNinn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ZOE B. SAY, OF NICKLEVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

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SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 679,513, dated July 30, 1901.

Application filed March 21, 1901. Serial No. 52,163. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, ZOE B. SAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nickleville, in the county of Vehango and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indexes; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which forms a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a novel index, designed primarily to simplify indexes kept by such establishments as require the opening of multitudinous accounts, and consequently the keeping of correspondingly-enlarged indexes.

The invention contemplates the dividing of a sheet into two sections adapted to receive separate series of entries and each section in turn divided into columns for the surname and Christian name of those with whom the account is opened. These columns are subdivided into various sections to accommodate the various letters of the alphabet, as will hereinafter more clearly and fully appear.

The invention further embraces the idea of providing to the left of the surname-column a series of consecutively-arranged numbers for indicating the letter box or file in which may be found the correspondence of the particular parties opposite whose names the nu mbers appear.

The invention still further relates to the provision of a general index to the right of each sheet, which will readily indicate just what portion of the index may be found before the sheet is examined and just what portion will be found thereafter and on what page. The details in the arrangement of the sheet will be apparent from the accompanying drawing, forming parthereof, when taken in connection with the detailed description hereinafter and the appended claim.

While in the drawing an embodiment of the invention is delineated for the sake of clearness in understanding the same, it is not intended to be limited to such specific construction and arrangement,inasmuch as slight alterations and changes in the less essential features may be made without in the least departing from the spirit of the invention.

In said drawing the view is a plan of a double-index sheet in its preferable arrangement, and referring more specifically to the same, A designates the marginal line of the indexsheet, adapted when used in book form to be folded on the line a. This sheet is divided by a vertical line B into the sections C C. The section C in operation is a continuation of the section C. Each section is divided near its left-hand edge into a vertical column D, designated the Number column, in which are consecutively-arranged numbers cl, one for each line of the index, those on the sheet being from 12,675 to 12,678. Adjacent each number-column D are the relatively wider columns EE, designated, respectively, the Surname and the Christianname columns, and these columns are subdivided as follows: The surname-column has provision for each letter of the alphabet corresponding to the initial letter of the name tobe entered R, for instance-and the column has the transverse spaces 6, dividing the same into relatively short sections in which the initial letter appears, together with each letter of the alphabet corresponding to the second letter of the surname, BA, BB, RC, 850., RA only being shown in the drawing. The Christian-name columns are subdivided in the same manner as the surname-column, and in the dividing-spaces are arranged the different letters of the alphabet correspondin g to the initial letter of the Christian name, A to H being shown in the drawing. The margins of the sheets below the index letters are cut away in an obvious manner. Adjacent the Christian-name columns are spaces F, entitled Pages, in which may be indicated the page-number of the ledger upon which any particular account may be found. Next to these spaces are relatively wider spaces entitled Residence and forming columns G, in which the address of the parties may be found.

In finding the name in the index just described use the first two letters of the surname in the left-hand or surname column and the first letter of the Christian name in the second or Christian-name columnas, for instance, Albert Race, the index RA A should be examined, or Henry Ransom, when the section RA H should be examined. In case of firm namesviz., Rawls & Bros, Raines& 00., or Raymond & David, use the first letter of the Bros, 00., and David, the same as if they were Christian names. To find the name Raymond & David upon the index at letter R, run the thumb down the surname index column to letters RA and also run down the Christian-name column to letter D, where the name may be readily found, David appearing in the Christian-name column under saidletter D. Should the correspondence of a particular party be needed, its file-number may be seen in the numbercolumnas, for instance, 12,708 opposite Raymond 85 David, and their address will be indicated in the residencecolumn as Troy, N. Y.

To facilitate turning to various sections of an index-book provided with sheets of the character described, each sheet is provided adjacent its outer right-hand margin with What I will term a general index H, the arrangement being as follows: To the extreme right in prominent type is the initial letter or letters of the surname section or sections appearing at the particular place to which the book is opened, R appearing first on the sheet in the drawing, since this letter is the section being examined. To the left of these letters in less prominent type the second letter or letters of the surname appear A being the only one in this instance, since RA are the only letters to be found in the surname-columns. Still farther to the left are the initial letters of the Christian names appearing on the particular sheet, A to H being shown on the sheet illustrated.

From the above description it will be apparent that an index is afforded in a relatively simple manner which possesses great advantages over any indexes of the prior art in that it greatly reduces the labor incident to finding a particular account of a very large number.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

An index-sheet comprising a series of relatively Wide adjacent surname and Christianname columns, characters corresponding to the initial and second letters of the surname subdividing the surname-column into sections for the respective second letters, a second series of characters in horizontal alinement with the characters in the surname-column subdividing the Christian-name column into a section for each letter of the alphabet, a relatively narrow appropriately headed column adjacent the Christian-name column adapted to receive page-numbers, and a corresponding relatively narrow appropriatelyheaded column adjacent the surname-column extending the full length of the sheet adapted to receive consecutively-arranged indicator characters, and a general index at the margin of the sheet comprising a surname initial letter or letters, a surname second letter or letters to the left thereof, and the Christianname initial letter or letters adjacent the surname second letter orletters, the sheet being cut away directly beneath the lowermost letter of each denomination, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ZOE B. SAY.

Witnesses:

GRANT SAY, LEWIS HAGG. 

